My Funny, Little Valentines

"The world would be a nicer place if everybody had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog." ~ M.K. Clinton



It's Valentine's Day.  Lots of love in the air.  Facebook posts loaded with hearts and flowers and hugs and kisses.  It's been awhile since I have had a human 'Valentine'.  Except for my mom.  Mom will always be my Valentine.  But really it's been just me and my pups for a long time now.  And that's okay.  It's better than okay.  It's wonderful.

It was a beautiful, sunshiny day today.  Birds chirping in the trees in the early morning hours and blue skies with wispy clouds hanging in the backdrop.  Flowers are already peeking out of the earth and it feels like Spring. After a lot rain the last few weeks, there is so much green everywhere!  People are outside, mowing lawns, taking walks and even cooking outside on their grills.  My doors are open to let in the fresh air.  I almost forget that it is still Winter.

The boys and I had a good day.  We hung out in the yard in the morning and went for a leisurely walk together in the afternoon.  There is a field close by with lots of tall grass for Raleigh to munch on and lots of mole mounds for Izzy to dig and stick his face into.  I have to keep them on leash as there is a busy road nearby and I also do not trust them not to run off.

Dogs can have so much fun doing the simplest of things.  Sniffing every single bush, pole and flower and peeing on fallen palm fronds; digging in the dirt and rolling in the grass.   Just watching them gives me a peaceful feeling.

I am happy to have spent my Valentine's Day with the two little rascals that love me unconditionally every single day.  

 

The New Kids in Town

"To get a dog is to open yourself to profound joy, and prospectively, to equally profound sadness." ~ Marjorie Garber

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It's been a long time since I have posted in this blog.  My last post was written while I was grieving the loss of my beautiful Henry.  It was very difficult to write about it.  And then, a couple of months later, I lost Walter. My grief was so profound, I could not even bring myself to post a farewell to my special boy.  Those were some dark days for me.

Walter had been suffering from arthritis and I was tirelessly trying to control it with medicine and acupuncture and other therapies that might help his mobility and ease his pain.  Although it was somewhat helpful for a while, his tired legs and spine could no longer hold him up and his anxiety level had risen to a point of concern.  I had a hard time trying to lift him up to go potty and even then, he could not stand long enough to finish.  It was heartbreaking.  I had that difficult conversation with my Vet about the inevitable.  It was Walter's time to meet Henry over the rainbow.  And once again, only two months after losing Henry, I was saying goodbye to Walter.

Walter was the sweetest and kindest dog I have ever met.  He was happy to take a back seat to Henry.  He absorbed every joy and every sorrow because of his empathetic nature.  He rarely left my side - always wanting to be at my feet, his body touching mine in some way.  He welcomed everyone he met with warmth and a gentle lean and a wag of his tail.  He had a child-like innocence about him all the way until his 12th year and beyond.  Walter was a true-blue, supportive companion and was always there to give me comfort when comfort was needed.  He was pure love.  I miss him so much.

When Walter breathed his last breath, I was holding him tight, whispering love songs into his ear.  I closed my eyes and saw Henry running up to greet him and they were smiling.  They were no longer in pain and no longer of this earth.  But they still live in my heart.  They will always live in my heart.

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We all heal at own pace, in our own way.  Since the summer of 2014, I traveled on an amazing adventure to Africa, a life-long dream, and, I adopted a couple of little dogs.  The healing began.

The healing of the heart sometimes feels insurmountable.  Fortunately, the heart is resilient.  It mends.  Perhaps, it even grows a little in the process.

It's already 2016 and the time has moved so swiftly.  I have had my two new little muppets - Raleigh and Izzy - in my life for over a year now.  All is well.  Both of them ran out of time at a shelter, and luckily, they were rescued.

Raleigh

Izzy

And then, they rescued me.